Colonial Resistance Grows
Ch. 9, Sec. 3, Part II
Examine the Townshend Acts and how the colonies protested
against Great Britain.
Research and explain the “Boston Massacre.”
The Townshend Acts
•
After the uproar over the Stamp Act, Great Britain hoped to avoid any
further conflict in the colonies. But, it still needed to raise money to pay
off the war debt.
•
In 1767, the Townshend Acts were passed.
•
1) The New York colonial assembly was suspended.
•
2) Import taxes were placed on glass, paper, paint, lead, tea and other
products.
•
3) British officers could use special, writs of assistance, or search
warrants to enter homes and business to look for smuggled goods.
•
Protests all across the colonies immediately broke out over this new act.
•
Another mass colonial boycott of British goods was called.
The Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770
The “Massacre”
• In the fall of 1768, an
additional 1,000 British
regulars arrived in Boston to
keep the peace.
• With their arrival, tension
and resentment filled the city.
• It came to an exploding point
on March 5th, 1770 when
violence finally broke out.
• When a large crowd of
Bostonians turned into a
violent mob, several British
soldiers opened fire on them,
killing five and wounding
several more.
• The act was called a
“massacre” by the Americans
and used as propaganda.
Massacre?
• The Sons of Liberty
exploited the shootings
for all it was worth.
• The Boston Massacre
became a symbol of
British tyranny in the
colonies.
• Incredibly, all of the
British soldiers were put
on trial for murder some
weeks later.
• They were found not
guilty by their lawyer,
John Adams.
The Tea Act, 1773
This act forbade any other tea in the colonies save for that coming from Great
Britain. This was despite the fact that tea was imported into the colonies from
other nations at cheaper prices.
The Boston Tea Party
• Protests over the Tea Act
sparked protests all over the
colonies.
• In Boston, the Sons of Liberty
organized what became
known later as, “The Boston
Tea Party.”
• On December 16th, 1773,
several colonials disguised as
Mohawk Indians boarded
three British ships in the
harbor and dumped 342
chests of tea into the Atlantic
Ocean.
• This made a huge impact
back in London. The
colonists would have to pay
for what they had done.
Protest in North Carolina
• Although not directly involved with issues taking place in the
Northern Colonies, a large number of North Carolinians did
support the Patriot cause and their protests of British policies by
boycotting all British goods.
The Edenton Tea Party
A year after the Boston Tea Party, a group of ladies in North
Carolina decided to show their support for the Patriot cause
and hosted their own party.
Led by Mrs. Penelope Barker, 51 other women gathered in
Edenton and pledged to support the American cause in any
way possible.
This action was significant because it was one of the first
protests organized by women in the colonies.
Further Unrest in North Carolina
Beginning in 1768, a series of incidents and confrontations between the western
famers and common folk and the wealthy, eastern political officials reached a
climax.
One of the many issues was a tax to pay for the new palace for Governor Tryon in
New Bern. A poll tax, or a tax on all at the same rate citizens was also passed.
The Regulators
The poll tax for the lavish and unnecessary palace was the last straw for many.
For years, many citizens had been
organizing opposition to the abuses of
power by many of the local officials.
The Regulators were formed in 1768
to “regulate government officials and
their gross abuses of power and
position.”
In addition to Governor Tryon, the
Regulators directly challenged
Edmund Fanning, a corrupt
government official from
Hillsborough.
In 1770, 150 Regulators broke into the Orange County Courthouse and literally
dragged Judge Fanning from the bench by his heels. They then took him outside
and spanked him in front of the townspeople with sticks and switches.
Edmund Fanning of Hillsborough
The Battle of Alamance
With this action, Governor Tryon could not ignore such vigilante justice in the
state. In May 16th, 1771, Governor Tryon used over 1400 soldiers from the the
state militia to track down and corner the Regulators who were encamped near
Alamance Creek, near present-day Greensboro. After a nearly two-hour battle,
Tryon and the militia defeated the Regulators.
The Regulator movement came to a close, but there were still deep divisions
between the west and the east and the rich and the poor. These issues would come
out once again in the upcoming Revolutionary War.